Spring structure



v Aug. 23, 1932. R FERGUSON 1,872,715

SPRING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 50, 1928 Z'Sheets-Sheet l I f i IPeg/na/d Ferguson Aug, 23, 1932. FERGUSQN 1,872,715

SPRING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. so, 1928 2. Sheets Sheet 2 hive/#01 Rey/bald Ferguson Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REGINALD FERGUSON,'OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR, BY MES NE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO SIMMONS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- SPRING STRUCTURE Application filed August 30, 1928. Serial No. 302,902.

This invention relates to improvements in spring structures for use in bed sprlngs, lounges, seats and all manner of places where such structure can be used, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a h1 h degree of f resiliency and great uniformlty of resiliency over its supporting surface.

A further object is toprovide a silent structure and a still further object is to obtain the aforementioned enhancement with less I expenditure of material and labour than is usual in first class structures of the sametype.

- Various other advantages and the objects of the invention may be ascertained from the following description andthe attached drawmgs. v

' One very excellent spring structure at presentwidely used which may be describedfor purposes of comparison and illustrationcomprises a rigid. marginal bottom frame carry ing rigid transverse supports for upright coil springs and longitudinal Wires serving to tie the bottoms of the coils down on the'supports. The top of the structure comprises a marginal frame to which the tops of the outer coils are securedand a system of linkagebetw'een the tops of the inner coils. In this structure, the coils must be quite closely spaced in order to avoid excessively large gaps between the coils into which a mattress or upholstery would sag in spite of the cross linkagebetween the coils. These conditions necessitate the use of a large number of closely spaced I coils and the provision and insertion of much cross linkage and a large number of bottom bars and tying down wires.

According to this invention, superior results are obtained in many ways by providing a structure embodying closely spaced upright coils of alternately large and small diameter, the coils of large diameter only beingrigidly supported and the coils of smaller diameter being resiliently supported. The tops of the large and small coils are linked together and form a close meshed top for the structure. The alternate rigid and resilient support of the coils causes an equalization of resistance to compression over the whole top of the structure, while the number of bottom supports is materially reduced, as compared with previously known structures of equal quality,

and the'work of assembly greatly expedited.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention but to the details of which the invention is not confined I r Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating the present invention as applied to a bed spring.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan viewof the bottom construction on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4'4 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, 11 designates the side rails of a bottom frame and 12 designates a series of transverse coil spring supports connected between the side rails and being preferably a series of flat metal bars disposed edge-uppermost as shown. A series of upright coil 7 springs, designated 13, preferably of involute helical formation arranged small end down, rest upon the supports 12 and are tied down by longitudinally extending wires 14 threaded over the lowermost helices of the springs and through apertures 15 in the supports 12. It will be understood that the bottoms of the upright coils 13 may be secured to the rigid supports 12 in any other suitable manner without departing from the spirit of the invention. The coil springs 13 are spacedmateriallyfarther apart than is ordinarily permissible in an upright coil spring structure and, in consequence, 'not only is the number of'these springs less but also the number of the transverse supports 12 and longitudinal tie wires 14 is materially less.

A second series of upright coil springs, designated 17, is provided, the springs of this series being preferably of double involute helical. formation sometimes called spool springs. The springs 17 of the second series are alternated with the springs 13 of the first series, but are not supported directly by the members 12 and 14 being located over the centres of the rectangles defined by the members 12 and 14.. The lower endsof the coils 17 are indirectly supported by the members 12 and 14 through a series of radiating links 18, which are preferably small helical springs, as shown particularly in Figure 3, connected at their inner ends to the bottom turns of the coils 17 and, for convenience, connected at their outer ends to the bottom turns of the coils 13. The connecting links 18 may be regarded and described as connected to the rigid bottom structure, for the reason that the bottom turns of the coils 13 are fixed. Obviously, the links 18 may be connected in some other way to the bottom structure but the manner of connection shown is preferred on account of the simplicity with which it may be efli'ected and because it enables the links 18 to be of minimum length. V

The top of the structure includes a marginal frame'which may be rigid or flexible as desired. The outer coils 13 are connected to this frame in any suitable way, such as by means of a lacing or locking wire 20. The tops of the remaining coils 13 and of the coils 17 are connected one to the other by links 21, which are preferably helical springs as shown. a I

The coils 17 which may be somewhat smaller in diameter at the top than the coils 13 occupy the centres of the spacesbetween the coils 13 and give a definite upward thrusting support to a mattress, which is totally different in effect from the support obtained by the usual cross linkage between coils. The diameters of the coils 17 and the gauge of wire in them are so related to the strength of the bottom supporting helical springs 18 that the resilient effect of the coils 17 is the same as the resilient efl'ect of thecoils 13, so that a mattress or upholstery resting upon the spring structure is uniformly supported over practically its entire surface. Moreover, the intermediate or small coils 17 serve to support the large coils 13 against compression as well as against overturning by a load localized on any one of the coils 13 and vice versa. When clownward pressure is applied to any one of the coils, for instance, one of the coils 13, the coil tends to be compressed and, by reason of the relative shortness of the links 21, exerts a compressing effect upon all the adjacentcoils 17. These coils tend to move bodily downwardly and, by reason of their resilient bottom support, have such bodily downward movementto a certain extent, with the result that part of the load applied to the top of the coil 13 is transmitted externally of the coil at a plurality of points to the bottom frame of the structure. The effect is a distribution and equalizing of a locally applied load over a considerable portion of the structure. Owing to the comparatively short lengths of the helical spring top links 21, there is relatively little resiliency to the structure in the plane of its top surface, with the result that all the coils are very effectively supported against overturning.

The tops of the second series of springs 17 or any substitutes therefor constitute a filling in the spaces between the tops of the springs of the first series and the portions of the springs 17 below the tops thereof constitute supports for said filling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1 1. In a spring structure, a rigid framework comprising intersecting longitudinal and transverse members presenting a series of regularly spaced openings, a series of upright coil springs mounted on the framework at the intersections of the members thereof, a second series of upright coil springs disposed above the openings of said framework and helical springs connecting the bottoms of the springs of the second series to the bottoms of the adjacent springs, of the first series, whereby the springs of the second series may move bodily downward relatively to the springs of the first series and connections between the springs of the first and second series at the tops thereof.

2. In a spring structure, a rigid frame work comprising intersecting longitudinal and transverse members presenting a series of regularly spaced openings, a series of up right coil springs mounted on the framework at the intersections of the'members thereof, a second series of upright coil springs disposed above the openings of said framework, and helical springs connecting the bottoms. of the springs of the second series to the bottoms of the adjacent springs of the first series, the combined effect of thesprings of the second series and the supporting helical springs being substantially equal to the effect of the springs of the first series, and connections between the springs of the first and second series at the tops thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set m hand.

y REGINALD FERGUSON. 

